Selling the Smart Grid – Challenging Utility Marketers to Control the Message

Utility organizations that have adopted smart grid technology often struggle when marketing to different audiences because of the lack of unification and control over messaging surrounding smart grid technology. Utility teams that offer smart grids can further their position as industry leaders if they can find ways to connect the right audiences with the right information. As marketers across all industries are putting more emphasis than ever on content output and strategies, developing a plan to sell the smart grid will be a key component of many big utility marketing plans in 2015.

Talk Technology

Customers more than ever are looking for the best new technology. Appealing to contemporary businesses and consumers with a modern offering may be easier than you think. Smart grids are revolutionary technology advancements that utilize data to improve all aspects of electricity consumption. Using automation, remote access, transparency, and behavior analysis, companies and individuals can take charge of their electricity needs in ways that were never possible before.

Keeping Customers Happy

Smart grids help save customers money and give them more control over their electricity usage. Smart meters give readings that are more accurate, and customers have greater access to detailed information concerning usage and billing. Knowing real-time costs allows customers to take control of their habits and make changes that save them money. Customers can also keep an eye on usage during different times, allowing them to monitor and influence costs.

Additionally, smart grid lets utility providers target outages quickly. Companies and individual customers see both shorter outage times as well as overall reduced number of outages because smart grids are better prepared to anticipate and eliminate arising issues. This also reduces the need for consumers to have to report outages, puts utility providers in better control of their offerings, and promotes better services to customers.

Green Grids

Modern consumers love environmentally friendly products. Embracing smart grid technology means there are less utility vehicles on the road reading meters and less power source locations needed (smart grids have a longer range). Also, consumers that actively participate in optimizing their smart grid technology will conserve more energy by becoming knowledgeable, involved, and conservative about their usage.

Smart Grids Aren’t Spies

A huge part of marketing smart grid technology is addressing consumer concerns about smart grids being used to collect data about individuals. Attack these concerns head on by explaining what smart grids can and cannot do, and how tracked usage is simply used for monitoring electricity and nothing else. Customers place a high value on security, and addressing the details of why smart grid technology does what it does, and what it could not be used to do is important in establishing a relationship with a potential future customer.

Get Your Message Right

If your utility organization works with smart grids, make sure that you develop your 2015 content strategy with particular attention to the customer at the forefront of your strategies. SilverTech’s experience with leaders in the utility field can assist you with developing the right messaging that speaks to and influences your customers.